1863.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
171 
the new laws, and especially under the high 
prices of wool and mutton. This last, I think, 
has more to do with dog killing, than all the 
laws that have been enacted. With wool at a 
dollar a pound or iu that neighborhood, every 
body that owns land wants a few sheep. Even 
Jake Frink rubs his eyes and wakes up to the 
fact that sheep raising will he a paying busi¬ 
ness. Sheep will live and do well on his poor 
pastures where his cows grow poor. He will 
bluster of course, when he learns that his dog is 
killed, but he will be resigned and conclude 
that his sheep as well as his neighbors’ will be 
safer with that sheep trap out of the way. A 
large number of poor farmers, and rather poor 
citizens, who have the dog mania will invest in 
sheep, and that will make them the natural ene¬ 
mies of dogs. I have noticed that it makes a 
mighty deal of difference whether it is your 
sheep or your neighbors’ that are bitten or killed. 
Resignation is a virtue easily practised, when a 
pack of dogs get into your neighbor’s flock and 
worry and slay. But when you go out some 
fine morning and find your fattest weather half 
eaten up, or your full blood Merinos made into 
mutton prematurely, it stirs the blood at once 
against dogs. You owe the whole race a grudge. 
Yon think of steel traps, bullets, and small 
stout cords in close proximity to dogs’ necks. 
You talk fiercely and threaten vengeance. Men 
in such a humor are prepared to legislate ra¬ 
tionally upon the dog question. They see very 
clearly that one vile cur, not worth a copper 
to any body, may easily destroy a hundred dol¬ 
lars’ worth of- their property in a single night. 
With sheep at two or three times the old prices 
we shall not only have good dog laws, but we 
shall have men that will execute the laws, and 
the dogs at the same time. The old arguments 
on this question are just as good as any new 
ones that can be brought forward, but men see 
them a great deal better. A sheep is a creature 
of consequence, just about three times bigger 
than it was two years ago. The dogs have 
grown small, and a multitude of them have 
grown out of sight entirely. 
There used to be a dog on about every corner 
of the streets in Hoolcertown. Some families 
kept a half dozen, and they had tight match to 
get enough for their children to eat, too. Now 
they are getting scarce, and I am in hopes that 
the time is not distant when they will be con¬ 
fined to cages, and shown up as curiosities at 
Barnum’s. It does my eyes good to see children 
and lambs fat and happy, and dogs lean and 
miserable. Fat dogs indicate a low civilization 
like the Chinese, or a low state of morals like 
the White Oaks, where the dogs are more nu¬ 
merous than the people. 
I have hated dogs ever since I was a boy. My 
father kept sheep and was a lover of choice 
mutton, aud chose to do his own butchering, in 
a humane and decent manner. I remember an 
old ewe with twin lambs, a cosset who came 
home with the cows to be petted, and cared for 
as if she were a member of the family. One 
morning she was found dreadfully torn by the 
dogs, just alive, but unable to move and her 
lambs missing. I have hated the sight of a dog 
ever since, and never pass one in the street, 
without an apprehension of a bite, and a great 
longing to brain him on the spot. Seth Twiggs 
has given them the right name, “ Sheep Traps.” 
And the morality of keeping a sheep-killing 
dog is on a par with that of a malicious neigh¬ 
bor, who should set steel traps in the sheep 
walks of your pasture. I would much rather 
have steel traps than the dogs. The trap would 
be certain to dispose of only one sheep in a 
night, while the dog might kill or maim a dozen. 
The trap and the victim would be found togeth¬ 
er in the morning, and the mystery of the broken 
leg would be cleared up. But your cowardly 
sneaking dog does his work by u lit and is 
miles away in the morning, with his chops all 
licked, and lying by his master’s door, as meek 
looking as if he never dreamed of mutton. The 
owner of a steel trap is a responsible being, but 
the owner of a dog seems to think that his brute 
is what Mr. Spooner would call a free moral 
agent, fit to do business on his own hook. He 
is not accountable for the deeds of his dog. I 
go in for trapping rats, skunks, foxes, weasels, 
and other vermin. If we must trap sheep and 
lambs, I prefer an article with steel springs and 
chain, to a pair of living jaws on four legs. 
The latter catches too much game. 
Hookertown, I Yours to command, 
May 10th, 1863. > Timothy Bunker Esq. 
Small Pox in Sheep. 
It will be remembered that no little excite¬ 
ment was caused in England last year by the 
appearance of small pox among sheep. Active 
measures were soon instituted to meet the emer¬ 
gency, and we are happy to leam that they have 
been successful. An Association formed among 
the sheep breeders in Wiltshire, to prevent the 
spread of the malady and to afford compensa¬ 
tion to those who might, sustain loss by its at¬ 
tacks, has just closed its accounts, there being no 
present necessity for its continuance. The pro¬ 
ceedings of the Association during the year are 
of general interest. When the disease first ap¬ 
peared it was recommended and practised to 
some extent, to inoculate exposed flocks, on 
the supposition that the malady would be less 
severe in its effects. This, however, proved not 
to be the case; inoculated flocks died off rapid¬ 
ly, and thus the proposed preventive only spread 
the infection. The Wiltshire Association insti¬ 
tuted experiments to determine the efficacy of 
vaccine virus, which proved entirely satisfacto¬ 
ry. Six healthy sheep were vaccinated and then 
confined with others that were diseased with 
small pox, and which subsequently died, but the 
vaccinated sheep resisted all contagion and re¬ 
mained perfectly sound. To put the experiment 
to the extreme test, the six sheep were afterward 
inoculated with small pox virus. Two of 
them died, two had the disease rather severely, 
the other two slightly, and the four fully recov¬ 
ered. The Association recommend instant iso¬ 
lation of an infected sheep, and the vaccination 
of those in the vicinity, as almost certain means 
of eradicating the disease. 
The labors of the Association brought to light 
some startling facts concerning the introduction 
of diseases among stock by importations from 
infected districts. There remained no doubt 
that the small pox was thus brought in. Ac¬ 
cording to Government reports, the cattle dis¬ 
eases of England rose in ten years from a year¬ 
ly average of 14, to 5, 6, and 10 per cent. A 
Government commissioner stated that, in 1862 
the loss from disease was at least three times 
the total amount of cattle imported, a large part 
of which was clearly traceable to the introduc¬ 
tion of diseases from abroad. It is very justly 
considered a matter over which Government 
should exercise proper control, and it will not 
be amiss for American farmers to give the sub¬ 
ject due attention in time. The Pleuro-pneu- 
monia excitement, though somewhat exagger¬ 
ated, shows how great the danger may be, and 
as our flocks and herds become more valuable, 
and greater attention is given to raise the stand¬ 
ard of excellence by bringing in new blood, the 
risk will be proportionately increased. 
Cure of Foot Rot in Sheep. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
I have repeatedly used the following treatment 
for foot-rot in sheep with complete success. 
Prepare a solution of blue vitrol as strong as it 
can be made, by pulverizing and dissolving in 
warm soft water. Each hoof should then be ex¬ 
amined, thoroughly cleansed witn a knife, and 
if too long, cut to the proper dimensions. If no 
infection be found, let two men take the sheep 
with a leg in each hand and dip every foot into 
the solution of vitrol. When an infected hoot 
is found, carefully pare it until every par¬ 
ticle of the infection is exposed—avoid bleed¬ 
ing the foot if possible. Then thoroughly sat¬ 
urate the foot with spirits of turpentine from a 
vial with a quill inserted in the cork; pour on 
as much fine powder as you can make adhere to 
the foot or the parts infected, and apply a light¬ 
ed match to the same; after which dip the foot 
in the solution as above directed. The sheep 
shoifld then run on a clean floor until the re¬ 
medies have had sufficient time to take effect. 
I have cured an entire flock with a single 
course of the above treatment. But to be safe, 
the same should be repeated in five or seven 
days, and if any cases of infection be found, re¬ 
peat again. Should an obstinate case be found 
where the rot has penetrated into the center of 
the quick, the sheep should be put into a pen or 
small yard by itself, and subjected every second 
day to the prescribed treatment. Thorough¬ 
ness is the great secret of success in treating the 
foot-rot. The knife is the principal remedy, if 
sharp and skillfully handled. A Subscriber. 
Middlebury, Vt. 
Prevention of “Cribbing” in Horses. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist : 
I found myself cheated to the amount of $50 
by the purchase of a horse sold as “sound,” but 
which proved to be an inveterate cribber. Va¬ 
rious remedies were recommended and tried 
without success. Finally, I have found a pre¬ 
ventive, if not a cure. I have arranged the stall 
so as to leave nothing against which he can 
press his teeth. He is fed from a low box which 
is pushed into the stall from a passage-way, and 
the box is withdrawn when not in use. (It is 
said that a horse can not crib with his head 
down.) The opening for air and light is placed 
too high for him to reach it, to crib against its 
sides. Since adopting the above arrangement, 
the horse has improved iu condition and spirit, 
and his value is also much increased. X. 
Salting Stock. 
Probably we do not know all the uses of salt 
in the animal economy; but a few are obvious. 
It acts beneficially upon the liver, yields a sup¬ 
ply of soda to the bile, and gives increased nu¬ 
tritive power to food. It acts as a vermifuge, 
keeping the bowels of stock free from worms, 
and gives increased tone to the stomach. It 
tends to prevent rot in sheep. As to the 
amount and the time of giving it, farmers dis¬ 
agree. Some are accustomed to salt their stock 
regularly, once a week. Many successful fann¬ 
ers keep salt within reach of their stock, believ¬ 
ing that they will eat only as nature requires. # 
